Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-05-05
INTELLIGENT DOGS.

Act OF HospitaIity-A Musical Dog.
A certain person who was highly
praising an animal. being asked what
remarkable qualities it possessed, re-
piled 1T is ours" No matter how de-
ficient dog may be in all good traits.
his master will readily acknowledge the
force of his recommendation.
The experiments of Sir John Lub-
book. an account of which has recently
been published. show that dogs possess
considerable capacity for learning the
meaning of words. Many anecdotes
on this subject might. no doubt, be col
lectcd. Rover belonged to gentle
man in the neighboring town of Union.
One morning a surveyor, who was
boarding with his master and was
about leaving upon one of his daily eN-
petitions, was told that Rover mi ght
accompany him. The dog heard the
permission granted and needed no
further invitation. Having waited
until the surveyor came from the house.
much to that gentleman's surprise. he
Immediately followed him. though this
had never happened before.
A still more remarkable case oc-
Cured in Bremen. A small, shaggy
dog. Dick by name. was accused of
killing a sheep, and was condemned on
the morrow to lose his life. Having
listened to his sentence, Dick suddenly
disappeared. travelling twenty miles to
the town of Washington, where he pre-
scented himself at the house OF his
masters father-in-law. He was nat
urally supposed to have preceded some
of the family. and their non-appear-
ance occasioned not little surprise.
Some two weeks later his former
master drove up to the door. and was
warmly welcomed by Dick; but when,
at the close of his visit he prepared to
take his departure. the dog had again
disappeared. Dick never returned.
His confidence had received blow
from which it never rallied. and to the
end of his life he remained at his
adopted home. A dog belong
ing to relative of the
writer killed a pet rabbit. The
-oflense was duly explained and its en-
.ormty pointed out. Ever after. when
the rabbit was mentioned before him.
he would hang his head. look extreme
ly sheepish. and. if possible. sneak out
of the room.
The lower animals. except when the
parental instinct is dominant, are su-
premely selfish. Nature has taught
them. by severe competition. that. if
they would live at all. each must live
solely for himself. A genuine act of
hospitality. however. on the part of
zone dog to another. was related to me
by clergyman. who heard the story
from one of his parishioners. A
powerful mastiff was accustomed to
conceal fragments of food in a snow
drift against some future exigency.
Zone day he was observed to proceed
'thithcr accompanied by a smaller
friend. and to wait patiently until his
guest had satisfied his hunger. Then
he carefully recovered the remnants,
and trottcd away rs though playing
the host was an every day affair.
Shepherd dogs evincc wonderful
memory by their ability to recognize
every member in large flock of sheep.
We know of ia dog that would instantly
distinguish the chickens of q neighbor
from those of his master, and. until
broken of the habit; would summariiy
punish any tresspassing of the former
by wringing their necks. So. too. a
sagacious farm dog will remember cat
tic even after months of absence.
Probably the best known dog story
of antiquity is the account from the
Odyssey. of how Ulysses, returning
from the ten-year siege of Troy, is
recognized only by his aged and
decrepit dog. Here is not bad paral-
lie! of this ancient tale. A frequent
companion of mine. when boy.
was large. shaggy dog of a peculiar
blush color. His unusual sagacity
made him at once an excellent guar
dian and playfellow. He would climb
a perpendicular ladder to the hayloft,
and enjoyed the game of ''hide and
SEEK as fully as am boy. Shortly aft.
er his purchase. while still young
puppy. his master. the writer's uncle,
sailed on voyage, the duration Of
which was about year and a half. Or
his return Rover welcomed him but
coldly. 1t was not expected. indeed
that he would remember person
whom he had known at so early an age
and for so short time Something
however. about the stranger puzzled
the dog as he c1ouched near by ant
began to call up old associa.
tons; his ears. tail. every move
ment showed this. Suddenly hs
sprang up. leaped upon his master
again and again in an ecstasy of de.
light which seemed to say that ht
knew him at last and wanted to atone
for the GOODNESS of his first greeting.
l formerly owned dog whose
musical proclivities dismayed the bold.
est of itinerant musicians No sooner
a looI hood -, a.